Pet

05/08/2014

Many cyclists look for ways to include their dog in their bike experience. For some with small dogs, it's carrying them along. We have seen people use a pannier, a crate, a wagon, a basket, a trailer, and even build an entire bike specifically for dog portage.

For others with large dogs the hope is to provide a way for man and man's best friend to enjoy the experience together. Some have mixed feelings about what is referred to as bikejoring, however dogs engaged in such activity typically look extraordinarily happy. Two products we have covered in the past for the more recreational minded were the WalkyDog and the Springer. One reader submitted their own DIY version of such a manufactured product as well.

The latest submission of such a product seems to be a mix of what we have seen to date. The TugNTow appears to be a product that mixes bikejoring and a leisurely ride together. We received the following submission and picture. Reader comments, rants, user experience, thoughts are welcome. I know there are some out there who think attaching a dog to a bike is abusive and/or dangerous, others think it is the greatest thing ever.

Me? As long as a dog is on a leash when I am on a bike path, I am happy. Just the other day a pedestrian had no leash on her dog and in the span of a few seconds two bike accidents almost occurred in which both the dog and cyclist would not have escaped without harm. The pedestrian had her headphones on and was obliviously walking along with the dog-less leash just dangling from her hand. I am sure she thought she was doing right for her dog, but she most definitely was selfish and ignorant. But I'll try to hide my true feelings =)

I will say I have a few scars on my body due to having my 100 pound, extremely energetic Labrador Retriever pull me on a skateboard when I was a kid. And no, in those days we did not wear helmets and most parents just shrugged and said we were kids being kids as we dog skitched down the street.

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The TugNTow is high strength recoiling leash for your bike. It allows your dog the freedom to run with you on a 7ft leash while keeping the line out of your bike tire.

It provides graduated resistance (the line gets harder to pull as more line is pulled out). This allows the rider to balance with their dog in a fluid way where the are no supprise jerks at the line.

The TugNTow also makes a slight noise and vibration as the line goes in or out to keep the rider aware of the line at all times. In addition the line can be changed so there is no need to buy another unit when the line wears out.

01/06/2014

I grew up with a Golden Lab who loved to go for car rides. I am sure she would have enjoyed this set up, sent to us by reader Stephen.

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I was able to rig a modern trailer to an old English bike to toe my dog in. The trailer didn't fit an old bike so I had to alter the hitch. These are pictures of Me and my mini schnauzer Jack.

The bike I am riding is one of my vintage three speeds. It is a 1963 Phillips with the original generator driven by the rear tire. Someone didn't know what they had and donated it to the Salvation army in mint condition. A friend of mine noticed it and rescued it for me.

I recently did something no one should ever do, but perhaps the ends do justify the means because I can share this picture with you (and as far as the hot dog question, I am just insanely hungry as I type this) -

I took the photo while riding, something you should never try to do, especially while on a busy pathway during rush hour. I only feel good about this picture because the quality is pretty terrible, meaning that I was indeed actually looking where I was going and not at my camera phone. I pointed my phone forward and without looking just kept hitting the camera button for like 30 seconds. This was one of only two photos that will allow me to share the meaning, and a challenge.

First the meaning. I have seen people transport dogs on their bikes many different ways, but I had never in all my days seen a dog in a rear rack mounted pannier. If you look at the end of the red arrow you will see a rather content dog. I know the dog was content because I followed this guy for over a mile and the dog was just totally chilling. If you think about it, most dogs seem to like to put their head out of a car window and this is just one long extended version of that experience. Sure the bike is not going as fast and the dog has to stare at the right calf the whole time, but this seems like a decent way to transport a dog.

Size is critical of course, any dog over 20 pounds would likely not be a good candidate for this type of thing, and I am not sure I would be super stoked about putting a dog so close to moving spokes. What if rover sneezed and leaned over into spinning pieces of metal? I'm thinking the result might not be positive. I could be wrong and perhaps the pannier covers the spokes, but I tend to often think of what might go wrong in certain situations. And why is the dog on the drivetrain side of the bike? I have witnessed a finger suffer great damage when encountering a moving chain. All things considered, humas are probably smarter than dogs, and if a human can mangle a digit, what about a dog?

So now that I have shared, I now wish to challenge. The challenge part of this entry comes at the end of the green arrow. I would like to add a new term or terms to the Dictionary of Bike Commuter Slang, in this instance related to the skin that shows when a rider is wearing a normally cut shirt that flaps away and exposes the lower portion of his or her back. I have been pondering names for this phenomenon I witness almost daily, at least during the summer, but have been coming up blank.

Those with creative ideas for this challenge leave your thoughts in comments. The brain-trust behind bike hacks will review the comments for dictionary consideration =)

05/30/2012

I had the opportunity to visit Quebec City recently and was happy to see bikes all over the place. I have seen many hacks meant to incorporate man's best friend into the riding experience, a simple bike hacks search for "dog" will reveal enough to keep a reader with a dog busy for a while. I have seen many baskets meant to carry dogs, but until my visit to Quebec City I had never seen a basket designed to keep a dog from possibly jumping out. While walking by a restaurant I spotted this -

Inside was a little cushion, along with a leash.

It certainly would be scary if a dog tried to jump out of a front basket while the bike was in motion, and this seems to be a perfect solution. Do you ride with a dog? If you have experiences, wisdom, and advice, please comment or send your experience/hacks to us for posting.

05/01/2012

We have featured quite a few hacks over the years designed to include man's best friend in the bike riding experience. Reader Brian contacted us and said he was inspired by something he saw on Bike Hacks and he submitted the following text and pictures. If you have bike hacks related to integrating animals into your riding experience please contact us for posting.

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I rediscovered my love of bikes when I did a triathlon as an adult, and that was it. I bought a beach cruiser for getting around town and to friends for drinks. I loved the army themed cruiser and have added onto it, while keeping the theme. While looking for advice on how to build a back rack to ride with my small dog, I came across your website.

I wanted to match the crate with my military styled beach cruiser. The vintage dynamite crate looked cool, but needed fastening to the rear rack.

I used 4 u-bolts to do this. I reinforced the bottom of the crate with two layers of 1/4" plywood. The bottom layer was glued to the original crate bottom with Gorilla Glue, and then holes drilled for the u-bolts and attached to the rear rack. I cut 1" holes in the top layer of plywood so the nuts for the u-bolts could be flush with the base and wouldn't poke my dog, Harley. I used more adhesive and 4 bolts in the corners with fender washers to squeeze the three layers together, with a fitted piece of indoor/outdoor carpeting. Then put an eye bolt and chain to keep my buddy from jumping out.

It's not a lightweight solution, but it's not like I'm on a performance bike. It's just for cruising with my girlfriend and dog, no stunting. Harley seems to like it, and we've been on a couple rides together already.